Haarlemmerhout

The Haarlemmerhout ( Haarlemmermeer Forest) is a city forest on the southern border town of Haarlem and is considered the oldest park in the Netherlands. He was formerly part of a larger piece of forest land, which stretched to the Haagsche Bos. It is home to the country house Welgelegen.

The Haarlemmerhout became especially popular during the Golden Age of the Netherlands, studied as rich merchants with their families during the summer months of rest and relaxation in the great outdoors. Her eye quickly fell to the then rural Haarlem, which was still away at that time a real trip from Amsterdam. The recreation seekers donated recreation areas within the time still significantly broader forest and let invest part of park-like, in particular, the presence of forest and water ( the Spaarne ) were the main attractions.

Today's spatial division of City Forest dates from 1830 and was designed by Jan David Zocher, a well-known Dutch architect and landscape architect, who designed it as English landscape garden. The forest was divided into several areas:

• Urban forest Grote Hout ( Great Forest )
• City Park Little Hout ( Small Forest)
• Natural area with Eindehout Landgoed Eindehout

Under the natural area on the north side of the city forest falls and the Built 1785-89 country house Welgelegen the banker Henry Hope ( 1785-1811 ). Hope designates the Haarlemmerhout happy as his " public front yard ." Later the estate was expanded to Frederik Park, the first residential park of Haarlem, who was also born on a design by Zocher. The Hope of preferred line of sight in the forest was retained, and the old trees was largely left so that there is now a remarkable number of old for the Netherlands and mighty trees in Haarlemmerhout.

The property currently situated around the Haarlemmerhout residential accommodation villas and luxurious accommodations and are affluent residents reserved. Land prices are among the highest in the Netherlands.

• Forest area in Europe